Fridays
by Delayed Poet
Summary: AU One-shot; Cedric is alive. Hermione fancies a swim in the Prefect's bathroom, but her swim becomes interrupted—in more ways than one.


Disclaimer: All Harry Potter logos, trademarks, names, characters, and related are the property of Warner Bros., J. K. Rowling, and/or their respective owners. I do not claim any affiliation with those who own Harry Potter and would like to make it clear that no copyright infringement is intended in the publication of this story.

**Fridays**

"_I won't take it, Potter! Go already." Cedric took a stubborn step back. If Potter hadn't helped him, he wouldn't be two feet from the glorious cup. It was hard, so hard, to not reach out and grab it, but he hadn't earned it, Potter did. He wouldn't take it from Potter._

_Making a decision, Cedric reached out and pushed Potter lightly toward the cup. Potter instinctively grabbed the cup, rather than knocking it down, and a moment later disappeared. Cedric's eyes widened in shock. Where had Potter gone? The cup must have been a portkey, he realized._

_Cedric raised his wand, sending out red sparks. A moment later Dumbledore and Moody arrived, and Cedric explained to them what had happened. When Potter returned after what seemed to be an eternity, he was covered in small wounds, blood leaking from them. The next few minutes were filled with confusion and chaos as Potter tried to explain what had happened._

* * *

Hermione pushed off the wall with her feet, propelling herself through the calm water. Even though she wasn't in a pool or lake, the bath really was large enough to pretend she was in a pool. She loved swimming, loved that while she was in the water she didn't have to think about anything. Umbridge and the Ministry, You-Know-Who, OWLs, none of them had to exist while she was pushing through the water.

She wasn't in the Prefect's bath for a bath; she was there for a swim. She wore a simple, conservative swimsuit, her hair plaited down her back. But when the door opened and someone walked in, she jerked in shock, stopping her lap and turning to see who had interrupted her. She let out a relieved breath when she saw that it wasn't a teacher come to punish her for being out after curfew. It was the Head Boy, Cedric Diggory.

"Sorry, I'll just… come back later, then." Cedric turned away, intending to leave.

"Oh, well I'm just here for a swim," she explained, internally she wondered how she could have forgotten a simple privacy charm. "If you're wanting a bath, I can go." When he turned, she held up her hands, which had already begun to prune. "I've been in a while, already."

"Ah, no, I actually came down for a swim, too." He held up the swim shorts in his hand. "It's a large bath, and I don't mind… sharing," he finished on a slight whisper, raising an eyebrow as though in challenge.

"Oh," she said softly, carrying the sound out slightly. "I don't mind, either."

Cedric went into a shower stall and changed into his shorts. When he came back out, Hermione had to fight down a blush at his long, pale, toned torso. He really was too attractive. And now, she'd be sharing the bath with him. She forced herself to resume her lap as he dipped into the water. If she focused on her laps, she wouldn't be able to think about a half-naked Cedric swimming with her.

Hermione swam the length of the bath, her strokes easy as she propelled herself through the water. She noticed that Cedric seemed content to fall into stroke near her, swimming at her easy pace.

The pain shot through her leg hot, fast, and fierce. She stopped mid-stroke, shooting straight up in the water, a strangled screech that verbalized her pain escaping her lips.

She felt strong arms move around her and pull her to the side of the bath. The pain had yet to cease, or even let up a bit. She sat on the edge of the bath, grasping at her leg. Smooth, wet hands slid over the bare skin of her calf, fingers working the muscles. Hermione looked into Cedric's eyes and for a moment forgot completely about her pain.

"Muscle spasm?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione nodded, a small grin on her face, though her calf still throbbed painfully. "Somehow I think I'm done swimming for tonight," she managed to say softly, though the feel of his fingers on her bare skin was not helping her ability to think as coherently as usual.

"I'm here every Friday night around this time. Maybe next week you could fancy a swim again," Cedric suggested with a small smile on his face, his eyes sparkling slightly, as though reflecting the water beneath them.

"Maybe I will." She nearly shivered as the movement of his fingers seemed to stop massaging and start caressing. "I… Uh, I should go," she whispered.

In a moment Cedric was away from her, looking up at her from the water. "Next week," he reminded her, and Hermione found that she'd never before looked so forward to the end of the week as she did that week.

* * *

**A/N:** This was fun to explore, but I don't plan to continue it. Reviews make this writer write more!


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